Facts

The free SA Fishing Regulations application, released in April by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, lists commercial and recreational regulations for every species of fish under a federal recovery plan, from amberjack to wreckfish. The app updates in near real time, enabling fishermen to tap into their smartphones on the water and view changing regulations as they're happening.

According to anglers, that's a significant improvement over traditional methods of monitoring, which typically consist of checking the council's website for changes - repeatedly.

"The number one complaint I've heard from other fishermen is that the regulations change so often and so fast," said Dick Brame, a recreational fisherman from Wilmington who works for the Coastal Conservation Association. "This is an instantaneous way to check. You can go to the dock, fire up the app and see what the regulation is for black sea bass, and when it changed."

The app, available for both iPhone and Android users, was developed for the management council by an outside contractor that previously worked on similar software for the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council. Costs for the project totaled $8,000, about $5,000 less than the council pays every 18 months to update and release color brochures listing the same regulations.

"The regulations are changing fairly quickly, and printed materials can quickly become outdated," said Kim Iverson, a spokeswoman for the South Atlantic council. "People still like those hard copies, but they become obsolete so soon after printing."

The smartphone software aims to fix that. Designed to be user-friendly, the app's fish ID and regulations function opens with a roster of all the federally managed species, each listed with an accompanying high-resolution color drawing for identification help. Tapping a species displays its associated regulations - amberjack, for example, has a recreational size limit of 28 inches and a catch limit of one fish per person per day.

The app also contains important phone numbers, instructions on how to properly measure a fish and maps of managed areas. So far, more than 4,100 users have downloaded the program.

"Any way you can get information faster is better," Brame said. "I think it's very useful."

<p>Looking for an easy way to track changes to federal fishery regulations? There's an app for that.</p><p>The free SA Fishing Regulations application, released in April by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, lists commercial and recreational regulations for every species of fish under a federal recovery plan, from amberjack to wreckfish. The app updates in near real time, enabling fishermen to tap into their smartphones on the water and view changing regulations as they're happening. </p><p>According to anglers, that's a significant improvement over traditional methods of monitoring, which typically consist of checking the council's website for changes - repeatedly. </p><p>"The number one complaint I've heard from other fishermen is that the regulations change so often and so fast," said Dick Brame, a recreational fisherman from Wilmington who works for the Coastal Conservation Association. "This is an instantaneous way to check. You can go to the dock, fire up the app and see what the regulation is for black sea bass, and when it changed."</p><p>The app, available for both iPhone and Android users, was developed for the management council by an outside contractor that previously worked on similar software for the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council. Costs for the project totaled $8,000, about $5,000 less than the council pays every 18 months to update and release color brochures listing the same regulations.</p><p>"The regulations are changing fairly quickly, and printed materials can quickly become outdated," said Kim Iverson, a spokeswoman for the South Atlantic council. "People still like those hard copies, but they become obsolete so soon after printing."</p><p>The smartphone software aims to fix that. Designed to be user-friendly, the app's fish ID and regulations function opens with a roster of all the federally managed species, each listed with an accompanying high-resolution color drawing for identification help. Tapping a species displays its associated regulations - amberjack, for example, has a recreational size limit of 28 inches and a catch limit of one fish per person per day.</p><p>The app also contains important phone numbers, instructions on how to properly measure a fish and maps of managed areas. So far, more than 4,100 users have downloaded the program.</p><p>"Any way you can get information faster is better," Brame said. "I think it's very useful."</p>